#SaugaSpeaks
Half unplugged
Nightmare is real
Tunnel is half-real
Hairless Huggon
They each want to be the next mayor. They’re discussing our issues.
If we connect less with the virtual, we’ll connect more with the actual.
The gory game that shows us a little of what goes on in depression.
One campus passageway is closed to Joe Blow. The other is unimpressive.
Psych professor shaves his wise head for breast cancer research.
Medium News, page 2
Medium Opinion, page 6
Medium Arts, page 8
Medium Features, page 11
THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
Medium Sports, page 14
October 6, 2014 Volume 41, Issue 5 mediumutm.ca
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Mayor hopefuls on youth issues UTM students’ #SaugaSpeaks hashtag fifth-highest Canadian Twitter trend MENNA ELNAKA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The UTM Debating Club and the Mississauga City Youth Council hosted “#SaugaSpeaks: Mayoral Forum on Youth” last Thursday, a debate between the candidates in the municipal elections taking place later this month. The nine mayoral candidates at the debate were Scott Chapman, Bonnie Crombie, Kevin Jackal Johnston, Masood Khan, Stephen King, Steven Mahoney, Derek Ramkissoon, Andrew Seitz, and Grant Isaac. The Master of Ceremonies was 16-year-old reporter Ryan Rocca, who opened the event with a speech honouring the legacy of Mayor Hazel McCallion. Rocca posed questions on the subjects of youth unemployment, access to and affordability of transit, and support for homeless and at-risk youth. Below is a summary of each candidate’s responses. Scott Chapman spoke about working with some of Mississauga’s largest employers to hire youth. He also mentioned an affordable housing plan that will make it mandatory for all condominium buildings along Hurontario Street to allocate 10% of their space to community housing in order to provide low-income families direct access to major transportation.
IEC to offer expanded service set MARIA IQBAL
Kevin Johnston planned to address unemployment through better communication with youth. He also recommended relying on skilled people to train youth on public speaking and job searching skills, saying this could be done for free through the Internet.
The International Education Centre is in the process of hiring additional staff, offering new programs, and moving to a new office space in order to better accommodate student needs. The IEC is growing to five staff from its current two, according to international student development officer Stacey Platt. Two full-time staff have already been hired and the centre is in the process of hiring a third. “We’ve been restrained by the number of people we’ve had [on staff],” said Platt, noting that up until 2012, the IEC was a one-person office. She also mentioned that the centre is expecting to move into a new office space by the middle of this month. Platt and Joanna Mackie, another ISDO, said they were unable to speak in depth about some of the changes because not all of the details have been finalized yet. Other changes include the launch of a year-long voluntary transition program called Global Connections.
Mayor continued on page 4
IEC continued on page 3
MENNA ELNAKA/THE MEDIUM
Issues that affect students were the focus of Thursday’s candidate debate. Bonnie Crombie, also a U of T alumna, promised investment in economic development to create jobs. She added that she would initiate a mayoryouth job challenge with the hope of creating 1,000 jobs per year by encouraging businesses and Fortune 500 companies to hire youth. Her plan for transit involved extending the U-Pass to part-time students (although part-
time UTM students do have access to it) and community college students, and improving the bus schedules. Her plan, named “Mississauga Moves”, includes regionally integrated transit systems and frequent all-day two-way GO service. On the subject of homelessness, Crombie suggested that developers put a portion of their development aside for affordable housing.
New student union board to be announced Candidates promise fall reading week, fee eliminations, and more as fellow runners drop out NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Elections were held last week to fill five positions on the UTMSU board of directors. The election, which commenced with a nomination period on September 15 and campaign period stretching from September 22 to October 2, ended last Thursday after three days of voting. The byelection was held to fill positions on Divisions 1, 4, and 5. A total of 13 candidates competed for the two positions on the Division 1 tier, which is intended for the representation of first-year students. The original candidates list released last week underwent changes because candidates dropped out of the race before polls opened. According to Ashley Toste, UTMSU’s chief returning officer, the ballots only reflected the listing of candidates who maintained their candidacy—which has not always been the case in student union elections.
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
Posters are the usual October decoration around UTM. “As for the two to three candidates who dropped out during the campaign period last week, their names were not represented on the ballots,” said Toste. Farah Noori, a candidate running in Division 1, terminated her candidacy after The
Medium published the candidates list last week. The candidates vying for the two Division 1 positions campaigned on a broad range of issues, the most prevalent being campus food options and fees.
“Exam deferrals cost students from $70 up to $100, which absolutely makes no sense if no other campus is enforcing their students to pay,” said Mohamed Dine, a Division 1 candidate who pledged to advocate for the removal of the fees
and to improve food on campus and implement an additional reading week in the fall term. “I plan to lobby for a fall reading week, improved Wi-Fi on campus, better entertainment and computing services in the Student Centre, more and affordable food options on campus, [and the] regulation of international and deregulated tuition,” said Vaibhav Narang, another Division 1 candidate. Like Narang, Vibhuti Razdan also pledged to advocate on a wide range of issues. “I will fight to drop the tuition fees, eliminate the missed examination fees, the variety and pricing of food options on campus, as well as find out ways to help decrease the cost of books,” said Razdan. Qiongwen Xu, a visual culture and communication student, pledged to advocate for “more interactions between UTM students and UTMSU members”, and planned to establish a club on campus. Board continued on page 3
10.06.2014 THE MEDIUM NEWS
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International Welcome Week includes trip to Niagara Falls September 25, 12:55 p.m. Theft under $5,000 A student reported the theft of his iMac computer from an office. September 25, 2:35 p.m. Safety Concern A student attended the Campus Police office to report an unknown male approaching women on campus and asking them personal questions. The male was gone upon the arrival of Campus Police. September 26, 10:51 a.m. Safety Concern/Assault A male student reported being assaulted by another male. No charges have been laid at this time.
KC CHAVEZ/PHOTO
Summer international student development officer Elvis Ibrahimovic (in back) poses with students. IEC continued from page 2 The program, which launches in two weeks, is intended to bring international and domestic students together and to be a platform for language exchange, cultural interaction, and more connections to communities on and off campus. Platt is coordinating the program along with a staff of nine students in work-study positions. Earlier this year, the IEC hosted UTM’s first International Welcome Week to help incoming international students transition into university life in Mississauga. Held during the last week of August, the week was a pilot project that was organized by Elvis Ibrahimovic, who was then serving as an ISDO, along with a team of student volunteers.
One of the volunteers, Larissa Ho, served on the planning committee and was a team leader for the event. “I like to think of it as securing an anchor for [the international students], so they weren’t floating around aimlessly throughout their time at UTM,” she said. The week’s events included lunches, info sessions on university expectations, meetings with faculty, a bus tour of Mississauga, and trips to the CNE and Niagara Falls. The orientation also provided participants the opportunity to live on residence for a week—and for those who planned to remain on residence for the year, a chance to move in early. Platt said that 42 students participated in the pilot week.
“I think the aftermath of the week is what tells me that it was a successful week—the students who met each other during IWW are still friends and they know where to find help when they need it,” said Ho. Platt mentioned that changes intended for next year’s IWW include better accommodation of upperyear foreign exchange students and the introduction of information sessions for the students’ families. Platt and Mackie noted that the IEC does not just serve international students, i.e. those holding a study permit. It also serves Canadian citizens who have not previously lived in Canada. The centre also offers help to domestic students, for example those hoping to study abroad.
September 26, 12:17 p.m. Driving Offences A student reported a complaint in regards to a careless driver on Outer Circle Road and Lot 5. The driver was identified and cautioned. September 26, 5:00 p.m. Theft Under $5,000 A student attended the Campus Police office to report a stolen cell phone from the Instructional Centre. The estimated value of the stolen property is $610. September 26, 6:30 p.m. Motor Vehicle Collision Campus Police and Peel Regional Police investigated a motor vehicle collision. The damage to both vehicles was moderate and no injuries were sustained.
September 27, 11:06 p.m. Noise Complaint A student reported a noise complaint from a townhouse unit. The occupants were advised to keep the noise level low and they complied. September 29, 2:27 a.m. Causing a Disturbance Campus Police and Peel Regional Police investigated a report of a safety concern for a UTM student. The student was spoken to and subsequently arrested for being intoxicated in a public place. September 29, 10:20 a.m. Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a report of a safety concern for a UTM student. The student was involved in an off-campus incident. Safety resources were provided. September 30, 12:30 p.m. Theft Under $5,000 A student reported the theft of an iPhone 5. Estimated value of stolen property is $740. September 30, 4:09 p.m. Theft Under $5,000 A student reported the theft of a black purse. Estimated value of stolen property is $350. October 1, 12:40 p.m. Mischief Under $5,000 A report was made in regards to mischief to a vehicle while parked at a UTM parking lot. Campus Police are investigating.
These reports are those that have been released to The Medium and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list. Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Vacancy may remain for the year Board continued from page 2 Fellow Division 1 candidate Maheen Farrukh spoke about two objectives she would pursue if elected. “The first one is equity: there should be no discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, et cetera,” said Farrukh. “Secondly, we as students should have a greater say in decisions that affect our lives.” Farrukh went on to enumerate her aims to reduce fees, improve campus study space, enhance campus Wi-Fi, and increase the duration of library hours. The candidates observed that many students were unaware of the by-elections. “Many students were not aware that UTMSU by-elections were taking place until I had started to campaign,” said Razdan. “Social media for me was a big part in helping me to reach out to the student population at UTM.” Dine also faced similar challenges. “I have noticed little awareness due to
the lack of promotion of the position itself,” said the first-year political science and CCIT student. “Also, usually small campaigns like this tend to get [little] attraction, since midterms just started.”
“Many students were not aware that by-elections were taking place until I started to campaign.” Farrukh also alluded to confusion at the polls. “I believe most firstyears [know about the election] but the upper-year students don’t,” she said. “The ones that actually do know mostly believe that they cannot vote since it’s a Division 1 election.” According to the UTMSU election policy, all part time and full time undergraduate students are able to vote for Divisions 1, 2, and 3 on the union’s board. Voting for Division 4
is restricted to part-time students and Division 5 to students in professional studies. For the two positions vacant in Division 4, only Salem Aboghodieh was running. According to Toste, the other position will remain vacant for the school year. The UTMSU Constitution and Bylaws state that vacancies occurring after November 1 for positions in Divisions 1 to 4 are subject to “an interim election at the Board”. The document states that any student who is both a member of UTMSU and of the constituency in which the vacancy exists can fill the vacancy. Division 5 candidate Simon Feng also ran unopposed. The unopposed candidates for both Divisions 4 and 5 underwent a verification vote allowing students to vote either in favour of or against the two candidates. In the event that more votes are cast against the candidate than are cast in favour, the position will remain vacant. The election results are to be announced today.
MMPA
Master of Management & Professional Accounting
• Designed primarily for non-business undergraduates • For careers in Management, Finance and Accounting • Extremely high co-op and permanent placement To learn more about the MMPA Program, attend our information sessions: Thursday, October 23rd, 2014, 11 am – 1 pm Room 3129 Ante Room, William Davis Bldg, UTM Thursday, December 4th, 2014, 11 am – 1 pm Room 3129 Ante Room, William Davis Bldg, UTM
mmpa.utoronto.ca
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THE MEDIUM 10.06.2014
$5 million given to U of T for indigenous education SIDRA WEQAR U of T has received an anonymous donation of $5 million for the improvement of indigenous education and research. The donation is expected to introduce a five-year initiative for the improvement and enhancement of OISE’s efforts towards indigenous education, beginning with literacy in the first year. “There is a widespread misunderstanding that aboriginal people in Canada all get free education,” said UTM political science professor Graham White, who teaches a course on aboriginal politics. He added that while some aboriginals do have access to free education, many of them don’t, “so getting financial help for fees, residence, travel, and everything else is a big issue”. With extensive research and visits to the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon regularly, White also observes that indigenous students who grew up in “very small, remote, close-knit communities” require special help adjusting to life in larger cities. However, he said that U of T has
more students from most aboriginal communities, which means that the donation has a potentially greater impact. Sean Kinsella, the coordinator of residential transition programs and an aboriginal student himself, spoke about some of the challenges that indigenous students face in Canada.
“We must continually prove our humanity as indigenous peoples and fight for a voice and space in our institutions of higher learning on our own lands.” “I was fortunate to grow up in an atmosphere where indigenous values were very much present, but indigenous identity was denied and minimized due to the racist policies, actions, and attitudes of both the Canadian government and the people around my family,” he commented. “It is unacceptable that in this
day and age […] we must continually prove our humanity as indigenous peoples and fight for a voice and space in our institutions of higher learning on our own lands.” He mentioned some common issues that arise for indigenous students: inadequate representation among staff and faculty, a sense of isolation and separation from their communities, the lack of awareness of the everyday obstacles indigenous people face, and what he called “the silencing that routinely occurs around indigenous knowledge and voices”, specifically those of indigenous women. Kinsella is currently completing a master’s in education that focuses on aboriginal issues, and also serves as chair of the circle of directors at the Peel Aboriginal Network and is a member of the Aboriginal Advisory Council. The $5-million donation is expected to contribute towards policy changes and a greater focus on literacy during its first year. It is also expected to aid new partnerships among aboriginal communities, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations to improve indigenous education.
»WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW FOOD TRUCKS?
Aline Tran 3rd year, psych
Gregory Pitta 4th year, bio
Amazing idea. Maybe there should be more dessert trucks.
I like them. It’s good to have some variety.
Carlos Chau 4th year, env mgmt & geo
Alanna Marchese 1st year, soc sci
I welcome them.
The variety is good. And sometimes the food is cheaper.
Vote for McCallion’s successor set for end of month Johnston also mentioned a plan to redevise the lines of the waterfront from Cawthra Road to the Toronto border, which he said would create thousands of construction jobs. Masood Khan said youth should be encouraged to get higher education in order to achieve higher-paying jobs. He also had a new plan for transit, which included a special pass for students, improving ridership on the buses, and managing the budget to bring prices down. Stephen King proposed having light-rail transit on Dundas connecting to Kipling Station to create a western connection with Toronto. He said that this would spur development on Dundas and create more jobs. On the homelessness issue, King said he
would prefer to address the root problems, recommending an examination into the causes of homelessness and poverty and the creation of more jobs. Steven Mahoney focused on his plan to create 1,500 co-ops in his first four years as mayor, while challenging the private sector to match that number again. In addition, he suggested working with the private sector and increasing the commercial tax space to take the pressure off the residential tax space, and thus increase jobs. Mahoney also said he would increase the ridership of the entire transit system. He proposed carpool lanes to start moving cars with multiple occupants and buses. Like King, Mahoney’s approach to homelessness involved addressing the deeper causes of the issue. “Bringing them into an affordable house is not going to solve their prob-
lem, if they’ve got […] multiple issues that could range from substance abuse to mental illness to physical abuse to problems at home. That’s what we need to address,” he said. Derek Ramkissoon said that he would like to create better jobs for youth and for the homeless. Andrew Seitz’s platform involved creating co-op placements and building social enterprises. Furthermore, he said he would love to reallocate the funding for the Hurontario LRT towards extending the subway from Kipling Station to Square One. He would call for 24-hour transit tickets and a 24-hour transit system. Addressing the homelessness issue, Seitz suggested building greater pride in homeless people through social enterprises and cooperative businesses to increase their self-esteem.
Grant Isaac said he would use moral suasion on the government and banks, saying they would have to make credits more available to those who want to start businesses. Isaac also suggested doubling the capacity of buses. In the second part of the debate’s forum, each candidate had the chance to pose a youth-related question to a fellow candidate. Crombie brought up the fact that this year, the city council voted to invest $1 million a year for 10 years to support UTM’s Institute of Management and Innovation in the hopes of economic gain. She asked the candidates to hypothetically re-vote on it, and they voted in favour. The third part of the forum consisted of questions from the audience, which had either been submitted through question cards during the
event or had been posted on Twitter using the #SaugaSpeaks hashtag. Nicole Danesi, a UTM student who helped organize the event, expressed her satisfaction with the event, which she said drew over 200 people. “We have heard great feedback from our audience, and we are proud to have hosted the largest mayoral event to date,” said Danesi, who is the Ward 3 councillor on the Mississauga City Youth Council. “We are proud to have hosted a very fruitful discussion engaging youth in Mississauga politics and providing the opportunity [...] to make an informed decision.” Towards the end of the event, Rocca announced that the hashtag #SaugaSpeaks was the fifth-highest trender in Canada. The municipal election will take place on October 27.
Google removes stolen nude celebrity photos from its services
Swedish woman gives birth from transplanted womb
Canadian agency contributes to search for life in space
Apple expected to reveal latest iPad and iMacs this month
Man kills his friend for poking girlfriend on Facebook
Google has deleted photos of nude celebrity women which had been leaked online. The action follows the threat of a $100 million lawsuit by Hollywood lawyer Martin Singer accusing Google of “profiting from the victimization of women”. Photos that were posted without consent include those of Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna.
A Swedish woman has become the first person to give birth to a child after receiving a womb transplant. Doctors say both the mother and baby are healthy despite the boy’s premature birth, which occurred last month. The woman, who is 36 years old, received the transplant from a 61-yearold family friend last year.
The Canadian Space Agency is helping provide devices for the James Webb Space Telescope, an $8 billion device scheduled to launch in 2018. A scientist from Toronto who works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the telescope may help discover extraterrestrial life. The agency is providing two cameras for the telescope, among other devices.
Apple Inc. is planning to launch its newest iPad tablets and other products at a showcasing event on October 16. The company will also reveal its latest iMac computers and new desktop software called OS X Yosemite. Apple will host the event in Cupertino, California.
A Nottingham man has been sentenced for manslaughter after killing his friend in a fight for poking his girlfriend on Facebook. Scott Humphrey is said to have repeatedly punched Richard Rovetto while both were riding in a taxi, and hit him again after the cab had stopped. Rovetto fell and hit his head on the pavement, later dying in hospital.
Source: National Post
Source: The Guardian
Source: CBC
Source: Financial Post
Source: BuzzFeed
Mayor continued from page 2
The Medium Board of Directors Elections Candidate Statements Vote now at voting.utoronto.ca. LARISSA HO I'm Larissa Ho and I'd like to be on the board because I feel that I would be a strong asset to The Medium given my genuine interest in and my history with the newspaper (I started writing for the paper as a volunteer in 2010, was elected to the Features Editor position the following year, and then served as a News Editor for nearly two academic years). I have The Medium's best interest in mind and would like to see it adhere to its excellent standards and progress beyond them. KEVIN LUDENA As an avid reader and supporter of the The Medium, I want to be part of the process that helps share and strategize the way in which the newsletter is published and shared, to help continue the legacy set forth by directors. COREY BELFORD The Medium is the message. If elected, I into the eternal sunset of truth. Corey Belford has drawn comics for The Medium for a year and a half and previously served on the board. ASHLEY NG I am running for a place on The Medium's Board of Directors because I want to become more involved on campus and contribute to the decisions regarding the publication. Moreover, I believe that I would be an asset to the Board because I am skilled at analyzing problems and looking at situations through a macro and micro perspective. ASMA FADHI During my last year in high school, we decided to start a monthly newsletter that covered on campus, off campus and worldwide headlines. I was part of the admin and it gave me an insight of what running a newsletter is like. I think it's important to have a student paper because it increases the chances of other students reading about the headlines and also the chances of students being more educated and aware about what's happening around them. SIHAN ZHENG Hello my name is Sihan Zheng, I am currently a second-year student here at UTM, and I would like to run for a place on The UTM Medium's Board of Directors. I love and share a passion for student-run media, and I would love to be a director on The Medium Board of Directors. I have extensive experience working with online
and social media, currently as a columnist and analyst with the Fansided Network. Besides creating content, my work at Fansided includes reader engagement, social network management, and online administration. I believe that my experience with online media management will translate to The Medium, and I will work to increase readership and improve reader engagement. JAIME POKHOY My name is Jaime Pokhoy and I am running for a Board of Directors position because The Medium is something I am passionate about. I am an avid reader of it and a frequent writer as well. I would love the chance to make it a better publication if given the chance. If elected, I would take this role very seriously. JENNIFER PARK As an undergrad student on the Board of Directors, I believe I can be a responsible, reliable addition to the monthly meetings by contributing ideas and helping out with any tasks given on the board. RAIYYAN KHAN I have always been passionate about press communications ever since my early years in high school. Back then and even now I am pretty keen on keeping up to date on world politics and technology, and had depended on journalists to bring me the news that was current, relevant, and, most importantly accurate. I place these values highly when it comes to journalism. I am also very passionate about professional development and have made lots of connections in several industries from technology to corporate to art & design. I would like to see how I might benefit the aspiring writers at The Medium achieve their professional goals as a Board of Director as well DENIO LOURENCO The reason why I am applying for a spot on the Board of Directors for The Medium is because at UTM I feel that there is a spot for everyone to fit in. There are clubs set up for everyone's different interests and cultures and for myself, I enjoy writing. It wasn't until I had my first article, "Could racial preferences be racist?" published in The Medium that I realized, this is where I fit in. Serving as a member of the Board of Directors on The Medium I feel would be a great opportunity for myself, and also for the UTM community.
OBAID SAID I have gained a great deal of useful experience in regards to teamwork, leadership, organizing events and projects, time management, critical analysis, and a habit of focusing on detail and execution. I feel I can work to help The Medium successfully fulfill its goal and objectives, while collectively pushing it to new boundaries. I have a love for journalism, objective portrayals of events and environments, as well as the questioning and investigative mentality of journalism. If it so happens that I gain a seat on the executive board, then I will do all that is possible to work with The Medium in contributing its long history of success. SAIMA KHAN As a fourth-year student and an avid Medium reader, I am interested in the current topics and discussions that frequent The Medium's pages. I believe that I fit this position on the Board of Directors because it holds great responsibility overlooking the company's affairs, requiring a dedicated individual that can detect issues and work well with the rest of the team to arrive at the best solutions to guide the future of The Medium. If elected to the board of directors, I believe that I can bring diversity, insight and the energy required to oversee finances and maintain adherence to the constitution. With experience writing for The Medium, I would like to continue contributing to The Medium while challenging myself by applying my enthusiasm in different platforms of The Medium. AJAY SHARMA The Medium is an integral part of UTM, it’s one of the few organizations that has the potential to connect everyone, regardless of program, year, or occupation. I have been fascinated with The Medium and the whole idea of student run newspaper since my first year at UTM, but have always been unsure of how to effectively leverage my skills to contribute to The Medium until now. My familiarity and practical experience with the fields in accounting and finance have provided me with the tools required to effectively contribute to the aim of the Board of Directors. This, coupled with my deep-rooted interest in governance is why I am eager to be on The Medium's Board of Directors. UTM has provided me with a lifetime worth of experiences, and this is one of the best ways I can think of giving back.
Voting ends on Friday, October 10, 2014 at 10 p.m.
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MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Luke Sawczak editor@mediumutm.ca News Maria Iqbal news@mediumutm.ca A&E Maria Cruz arts@mediumutm.ca Features Madeleine Brown features@mediumutm.ca Sports Jason Coelho sports@mediumutm.ca — Photo Mahmoud Sarouji photos@mediumutm.ca Design Mubashir Baweja design@mediumutm.ca Copy Akshaya Sharma copy@medumutm.ca Online & Blog Michelle Bonsu Safia Amin blog@mediumutm.ca online@mediumutm.ca ASSOCIATES News Nicole Danesi Menna Elnaka A&E Kathelene Cattell-Daniels Features TBA Sports Eric Hewitson Fergus Talbot Copy TBA Photo TBA To become an associate, begin writing and speak with your section editor! GENERAL STAFF Distribution Manager David Sanchez distribution@mediumutm.ca Comic Artist Corey Belford BOARD OF DIRECTORS Luke Sawczak, Christine Capewell 5 student position TBA. A board election is being held now! Check mediumutm.ca/elections
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Pay attention to what’s present We all have an addiction to a busy, connected life, but we can slow down I used to take walks in the fall. The season on this side of winter is my favourite one. There’s something about the combination of freshness and the sense of loss (of the summer or something more vague) that used to make me stop and really take it in, without fail. I went out multiple times a week. I obviously loved it. Why it stopped isn’t so clear. But I think it has something to do with distraction. One year I started taking my old mp3 player with me (back when many dedicated devices existed for that) and listening to my favourite songs. When university came around my dad gave me my first cellphone and I started carrying it everywhere in my pocket. I had always carried a camera too, but as the years went by I also saw the number of photos I was taking ballooning from a dozen or two on a walk to a couple hundred. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t seeing the forest now. I was documenting it. This is also the subject of Kimberly Green’s story in this week’s features section. She voluntarily “fasted” from technology for a week and wrote us an insightful article on what it was like, and frankly I’m amazed it isn’t longer. It’s a brave move—I would have to convince myself to leave my phone at home for even one day—and it strikes me as more valuable than just a playful experiment.
Don’t get me wrong. If technology brings us one thing, it’s connection, and that’s indispensable. The global awareness we can now have with incredible quickness has many benefits. The brilliant American anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote about TV, “For the first time, the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.” That effect has only intensified in the intermediate decades (nowadays we even find TV somewhat too scripted). In the same way, the two letters on the opposite page are strikingly different in scope. Andrew Michael Riess’s letter about Chartwells is a decidedly local one; many students who’ve eaten on campus in the last five years know his face, even if they can’t match the name to it. It’s a classic letter. On the other hand, not long ago it would’ve been impossible for Frishta Bastan to “follow” the Afghan election and instantly write to the politicians. To say nothing of the fact that my writing and publishing this letter is greatly aided by my office Mac. But while an appreciation of both the detriments and the benefits of too much technology is essential, the one weakness of Kimberly’s approach, to my way of thinking, is the resolution on the word “balance”. It’s a safe call, but too often not nearly enough of a push in any direction. We can all
agree that balance is needed, but unfortunately it hardly motivates us to change our dangerous extremes. Rather, the main way we as humans correct one extreme is to swing, or at least advocate swinging, to the other. Even if we rightly reject the solution in the end, the fact of our complacency at least enters our mind. So I’m going to try to be a little less connected, strange as it sounds. I’ll continue to pay attention to the wider world outside my immediate community—I can hardly help it if I so much as glance at Facebook—but I’ll avoid inundation by the things that are absent, in the hope of becoming more connected to what’s present. Here’s my small step: I finally got a smartphone and can finally check my four email accounts and Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and all that “cake” (as Kimberly calls it) at any time at all. I’ve been considering getting a data plan so I don’t have to wait to be in range of a Wi-Fi signal. But I don’t think I will. Instead, I’ve just set my email sync to only every two hours instead of constantly, and I’ve turned off notifications for several of the above apps. You might ask, what if someone tries to contact me and needs to do it right away? My answer is that they can do it however they did it last year. The more we facilitate our addictions,
the more we cripple ourselves. Remember, I’m not saying don’t keep up with current events. There are still a thousand ways to do that. For heaven’s sake, you can even read a good old-fashioned newspaper like The Medium and find an article on the debate between Mississauga’s mayoral candidates. You can read about how a candidate wants to extend the subway to Square One and reflect on how bad an idea that is. (Seriously.) And then tell it to the person next to you... and maybe share the laugh on Facebook tonight, rather than this minute. This, anyhow, is food for thought as we at The Medium leave you for a couple of weeks while we all go enjoy Thanksgiving. The trick is that you can only be grateful if you look at what you’ve got and not always hunt for more. At least, that’s what I’m trying to learn this month. Now to find a place for a “nature walk” event in my phone’s calendar. YOURS, LUKE SAWCZAK
CORRECTION NOTICE In the Sept. 29 article “Quiet start to election campaign”, it was stated that Aboghodieh ran for Division 5. He was actually a candidate for Division 4.
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Afghan politicians, look out for your people Dear Editor, Here is my open letter to Afghanistan’s president Ashraf Ghani and chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah. I cannot say I am too happy or even impressed that a democratic election turned into a power sharing government. Or as Mr. Abdullah calls it, “a win-win situation”. But at the same time, I don’t even think I am the least bit surprised. I followed the elections. I didn’t follow your individual campaigns—I followed the Afghan people. The youth, whose words of hope for peace were spray painted on the walls of Kabul, the women in refugee camps who pleaded for actu-
al change, or the kids who mimicked the electoral process. Anyone could see that Afghans wanted change. I won’t sit here and claim I know what the Afghan people want, but from what I see, they want something to look forward to, something to hope for. The 60% voter turnout proved this point. However, democracy was harder to achieve as you both pointed fingers at each other. And when you finally decided to move on from this, both of you now run the country. An agreement so carefully crafted by our “friends” from the States, it gives you both almost the same amount of power. Democracy doesn’t work this way. Apparently, Afghans do. My plea is short and simple. Put your differences aside and look at the
innocent lives of the Afghan people, who time after time, keep getting thrown into the middle of power wars. They are the ones who suffer. Think about them. At this point, the
It’s been a dream of mine to visit Afghanistan one day, perhaps to even live there. I still hope that Afghanistan will be safe enough. NATO withdrawal perhaps has put the Taliban at an advantage. The U.S. failed terribly in Afghanistan and has left behind angry, hurt, lost Afghans.
It’s not Chartwells’ fault, it’s the ones who pass the budget Dear Editor, I’m a former Chartwells employee who left on my own terms for a better parttime job. You should put this story in next week’s edition of The Medium, because the sooner everyone knows the truth, the better. Because there are always two sides to the story. Yes, UTM wants Chartwells out. No one can blame them. I worked for Chartwells for five years, so I know what really goes on. Yes, Chartwells is like a soap opera, except it’s for real. Yes, there are lazy workers—managers who let power and authority get to their heads. The head office of Compass Group Canada puts so much pressure on managers to be unfair, like treating
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some employees well and others poorly, and taking revenge for bringing in the union. (Chartwells employees only get paid $11 dollars an hour. And we get screwed for statutory holiday pay.) Managers who don’t play ball with head office, like playing favourites, disappear—they’re either forced to quit or fired. Even employees disappear. UTM should send their outrage to the head office of Compass Group Canada. At other Chartwells locations, the food is good. Deerfield Hall’s food is good because they get good-quality ingredients. In the Davis Building, head office is cheap—they only give a small budget every week, and the chefs have to work with what they have. Yes, the food is nasty, because the quality of the ingredients sucks. It’s not the
chefs’ fault. You can be the best chef in the world but if the quality of the food sucks, it’s still going to be bad no matter how you cook it. So it’s not Chartwells who needs to be nailed. It’s not the chefs’ fault, it’s not the people’s fault, it’s Compass Group Canada’s fault. We just work, they give the budget. By the way, this coming July, Chartwells’ contract is up. Just know that if they go out and someone else takes over who can’t afford to pay even minimum wage, lots of people will be out of work—innocent workers who are truly there to serve you, the students and staff. Andrew Michael Riess Former Chartwells employee
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Our “friends” insist on looking at the government for help, but how do you expect Afghans to look to you for hope, if you are lost yourselves? The Taliban are the only ones left. It’s not to say that the Afghan people will immediately fall into their hands, but it is very likely judging by the way everything is running at the moment. Please, do not let this happen. It’s been a dream of mine to visit Afghanistan one day, perhaps to even live there. I still hope that Afghanistan will be safe enough for the natives as well as those who want to return. It’s up to you both to beat all odds and create an actual change in the lives of Afghan people. Change only comes from cooperation, a settling ego. You must put the popula-
tion before yourselves. This is not to say a complete transformation will come right away: bring the change in forms of waves. Wash out the blood left behind by those who murdered our country. Only then, will you become true leaders. Emphasis education, teach the importance of our art, and be the example of unity—a word you both love to use so much. Do not allow Afghanistan to further divide. The youth is now in your hands. Change history, impact the world. Work together for the best of all of us. Sincerely, Frishta Bastan Wanting to go back home
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On being one with your character Video game creator uses the platform to uniquely open up about depression and OCD MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR The Medium sat down with Matt Gilgenbach to talk about the newly released Neverending Nightmares, a video game about his real-life mental health struggles. The Medium: Why was a video game your media of choice? Matt Gilgenbach: I think the reason is that there’s an amazing relationship between a player and their character. For example, if you’re playing Super Mario Brothers and you fall into a pit, you say, “Oh, I died”—you don’t say, “Mario lost a life.” I think there’s this amazing connection where, through the language of video games, everyone is already sort of well-versed in putting themselves in the position of the player character, and because of that we can create an experience that recreates the feelings…in the player rather than just presenting a story about them or a narrative where things are happening to a character. I don’t think there’s quite the level of investment or empathy as when it’s happening to you. TM: There’s so much bravery that comes with sharing a personal story. How did you build up the courage to come out with a game like this? MG: It was a difficult thing to do and to some extent, you just kind of have to commit to it and take a
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A glimpse into Neverending Nightmares, a game hoping to provide insight into mental illness. plunge and hope for the best, which is what we ended up doing. I also gave a talk at a Game Developers convention about my personal struggles with mental illness and it had a very positive response, so I felt like it was something that was worth talking about and something that people would appreciate and sort of recognize rather than ridicule. TM: Were you ever worried about potential negativity? MG: That’s true of anything you
create. Certainly, on my previous games, it was difficult to read any sort of negative feedback, but I’d say it’s harder [with] this game because it’s so personal. I think going into it, I knew I was creating something that not everyone would appreciate. But I think the people that do appreciate it, it really resonates with them, so I’m willing to put up with the negative reactions for the immensely positive reactions, especially from people who suffer from mental ill-
ness and let me know that it really helped them. TM: Was it difficult to relive all of these nightmares in making this game? How did you overcome the difficulty of bringing these terrifying things to life? MG: It actually was much easier than I expected and it was almost therapeutic because of the sort of buffer that it’s not me, it’s the character. You know, this is my job and this is what I do, and I’m getting up
and I’m making this game. I was very fortunate; for whatever reason, I was able to put enough emotional distance between myself and the subject of the game. It wasn’t super painful to work on, but also I was still able to express a few emotions I wanted to express in the game. TM: You once said that you didn’t necessarily take offence to games about mental illness that were developed by those who hadn’t experienced it. Do you feel that these video games should be developed solely by people who understand what it’s like? MG: I think to some extent when you’re creating a video game, you’re not necessarily thinking about how to be sensitive to every person on earth, and how to best capture their experience. A lot of it is just, how can you create a compelling and interesting experience? I’m sure there are possibly offensive or negative depictions of mental illness in some games, but adding an “insanity meter” and the screen goes crazy or something, you know, that doesn’t really bother me. I don’t think I would say to those developers “Don’t do that,” because it certainly can make their games more interesting and more compelling, and I think it’s difficult for people to take that seriously as a commentary on mental illness. Personally, I don’t judge that. Matt continued on page 9
Clicks generate income, just not for us UTM artist’s mock debate on whether the Facebook’s revenue should be shared with users ANDREEA MIHAI Wages for Facebook, an on-campus exhibit in the Blackwood Gallery’s current show Falsework, is the slide currently on display on the billboard by the Davis Building. Three paragraphs from a manifesto and a website address glow at visitors on a white background. The launch of the website in January opened up the debate about whether Facebook should pay its users since their activities generate revenue for them, largely through advertising. Inspired by the 1970s feminist movement Wages for Housework, which argued that the state should pay women for their unwaged housework and caregiving, Wages for Facebook extends the discussion by focusing on online capitalism and exploitation. The project has been written about in the New York Times
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
Information on Wages for Facebook can be found on the William G. Davis Building. blog and elsewhere. The project, spearheaded by four work-study students at the Blackwood Gallery, includes free buttons
with the message “Workers of the world, unite!”, a reading group, an artist talk, and an interactive wall on the second floor of the library across
from the washrooms. “On the wall we will have questions, images, tweets, quotes, and great reading references in regards
to digital labour,” said Kayla Tremblett, one of the students. “It’d be great if we could get people to come out and participate in the campaign face to face.” Until November, the ICCIT is also hosting “Participation or Exploitation?”, a five-session reading group on critical perspectives on social media, as part of the project. The reading group will consist of discussions in the Blackwood Gallery facilitated by faculty. The topics will include the economics of selling personal information, gender and social media, and alternatives and resistance. On October 29 from 1 to 4 p.m., Laurel Ptak, the artist commissioned to make the Wages for Facebook billboard, will lead a workshop at the gallery. Ptak will explore the question of whether what we do on Facebook is work and how we would calculate its value.
10.06.2014 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 9
Memoir on murder Idiosyncratic game designed
to shed light on mental health Matt continued from page 8
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Amanda Knox was wrongfully imprisoned for murder. KEENA AL-WAHAIDI In September 2007, Amanda Knox decided to do what a lot of university students dream of doing with the right amount of money and courage: study on the other side of the world. The University of Washington student, just 20 at the time, travelled to Italy to improve her Italian, make friends, and have the time of her life. In her memoir, Amanda Knox: Waiting to Be Heard, she recounts the day that changed her life forever, and the following years. When Knox came home to find her roommate dead on the floor, an international media frenzy took over her life and created a new worldwide perception of her in a matter of days. Knox returned to the apartment she shared with three other young women after spending a night with her boyfriend. They found the windows smashed and blood in the bathroom. By the time the police arrived, they had found Meredith Kercher’s body under a mattress. Kercher was a British student, studying at the same university as Knox in Perugia, Italy. After the discovery, the police kept Knox for hours to discuss the case and
soon these talks turned into interrogations and eventually to custody. It was then that Knox realized that the police had pinned her as a main suspect. In her memoir, Knox explains that while she and Kercher had their disagreements, the media blew this fact, and many others, out of proportion. Mishandled evidence, assumptions, and untruths in tabloids worldwide were just some of the things that haunted Knox for years to come. She says that people thought she displayed “odd behaviour” for someone who hadn’t killed her friend just less than 24 hours ago. The apparent evidence continued to stack up when, during a five-day interrogation, she blurted out that her boss at the restaurant where she worked might have had something to do with the murder. Her intention wasn’t to lie, but Knox had been subjected to harsh interrogations with no lawyers, food, or water, and little knowledge of the language being used with her. Knox’s story of being accused of a crime she didn’t commit while trapped in a foreign country, and of the relief she felt when she was acquitted after spending four years in jail, will touch your heart.
TM: Why did you choose 2D line art over something a little more “realistic”? How did this artistry better capture your image? MG: I think it works on a few levels: firstly, I think if you see a screenshot of Neverending Nightmares, it doesn’t look like any other game out there. You know instantly it’s Neverending Nightmares, and I think that’s important in our day and age when there’re so many great video games being developed and a lot of indie games are really fantastic, so it’s tough to really stand out in that crowd. I also feel the art style is more expressionistic and we have a lot of leeway with how we draw things and represent things, especially the light and the darkness. We can do some really interesting things that would be more difficult to pull off with a more realistic art style. For example, the darkness in and of itself is animated, so even if you’re standing still, the lines are constantly moving and [it] really creates the feeling that the world and everything is closing in on you. TM: What are some of the stigmas you believe are associated with mental illness and how do you feel that Neverending Nightmares is helping to rid those stigmas? MG: I think a lot of it is people judge you; they think there’s something wrong with you. If you’re depressed they think you should just cheer up and it’s just a simple thing, you know, you just have the wrong outlook on life. Or with
obsessive-compulsive disorder, they think it’s weird and they don’t understand and they think you have to touch objects or count or something, which is only one way that OCD can manifest itself. With Neverending Nightmares, I’m trying to give people insight or understanding into mental illness and what it’s been like for me, and I hope that especially in talking about it I’m a pretty normal guy and hopefully I come across as a reasonable person, and certainly I think that’s important to understand. You know, everyday people can have extra difficulties but can still live in a perfectly normal life.
You have to work at getting better. It’s not like a cold where it will pass. It’s important to get the best and the most help you can. I guess that’s more told with me speaking about the game and less through the actual game, but through the game, I want people to have insight and understanding and basically realize that depression is just this bleak way that you can see the world—you can see the world through these terrible filters that make everything feel weird and bad and oppressive. With OCD, there’s all this imagery and terrible things that you just can’t control; it’s completely out of your control. You can’t master your
mind and have it think about the things you want it to think about it. Those are the things I want to discuss and illustrate with Neverending Nightmares. TM: In previous interviews and in your blog, you encouraged those suffering to get help and you acknowledged how scary and tough it is to share personal experiences with a stranger. What words of encouragement do you have for people who are afraid to share their experiences with just one person, when you’ve been brave enough to share this experience with all the people that have and will play this game? MG: I think the best advice I can give is that you have to work at getting better. It’s not like a cold where it will pass. In my experience, it’s a chronic illness and it’s something that will be with me always. So certainly because it’s so difficult, I think it’s important to get the best and the most help you can. It’s like if you have cancer, getting chemo is difficult and it’s a hard and painful thing, but I don’t think anyone would say it’s not worth it, it’s not worth the risk. I think you have to do what it takes to get better and I think that may mean opening yourself up to a therapist and that may be very difficult for you, but I think it’s very important to be working towards getting better. This interview has been edited for length. For more information on Neverending Nightmares, see our review on page 10.
REWIND
MAYANK SHARMA
THE USUAL SUSPECTS 1995 During my flight from Dubai to Toronto, I had 14 hours of flight time to kill, so I decided to shun new blockbuster films and entertain myself by watching good old classics. I had already indulged in this thriller but I was really excited to rewatch it. The Usual Suspects is one of Bryan Singer’s early directorial ventures and became a cult classic the moment it appeared on the silver screen. The Usual Suspects follows the simple tale of Verbal (Kevin Spacey), a small-time crook with cerebral palsy being interrogated by a customs agent for an alleged crime that led to the deaths of several people. At the same time, an FBI agent attempts to unveil the identity of the person responsible for those deaths by interrogating the last survivor from the bloodbath. However, Verbal’s tale gets complicated and nebulous when the agents learn that a Turkish crime lord, “Keyser Söze”, is the true mastermind behind the suspected crimes. Verbal’s story is shown in a flashback, which starts with five criminals
being held in prison without probable cause for being suspects in a heist. These five criminals—Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Fenster (Benicio del Toro), Hockney (Kevin Pollack), and Verbal—share resources and plan to get back at the police. They are soon caught in a web of confusion and chaos, all while trying to survive the wrath of Keyser Söze. The film progresses with Verbal explaining the purpose behind the crimes, the rumours of how sadistic and ruthless Keyser Söze is, and how he is regarded as mythical by many, because he has never been seen in person. Verbal is eventually let go and given immunity, leaving the police with inadequate information and a puzzling case to solve. The brilliant script by Christopher McQuarrie and the cast’s performance combine to make this a commendable neo-noir film with a perfect twist of an ending that made my jaw drop. This film is one of my favourites and I would recommend it. Particularly if you are looking for a good suspenseful stress-buster for upcoming midterms… or are keen to know who Keyser Söze is.
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New kind of horror Playing through Neverending Nightmares MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR ONE CHANCE Based on the true story of Paul Potts (James Corden), the 2007 winner of Britain’s Got Talent, One Chance follows the life of the opera singer through his tough childhood and into his adult years. This dramedy flick doesn’t look too bad; the trailer had its funny moments mashed up with heartfelt scenes of Potts inevitably overcoming his difficulties. Now, I don’t know anyone who would be particularly interested in this story, but everyone loves an underdog. I would maybe go see this on cheap night. One Chance opens in theatres on October 10. THE BOOK OF LIFE This animated flick follows the story of Manolo (Diego Luna), a young man who is battling Joaquin (Channing Tatum) to win the affections of Maria (Zoe Saldana) with spirits La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman) placing a bet on who will win her over. I think it’s absolutely fantastic that this film does such a good job of honouring the Day of the Dead
and incorporates the holiday into its plot rather than just making random allusions to concepts (and misconceptions) associated with the holiday. It’s apparently the first film of its kind and the short twominute trailer won me over. The Book of Life opens in theatres on October 17. BIRDMAN Michael Keaton finally returns as a lead character in a film about a washed-up actor trying to make a comeback. Riggan Thomson was once famous for playing the iconic superhero Birdman in his movies, but has begun to fade into the background. He turns to Broadway to revive his career, but must deal with his ego and family troubles. The film also stars Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zack Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts. I have been waiting for so long to see Keaton return to cinema with something bigger than a side character, and I literally can’t wait for this to come out. Birdman is set to hit theatres on October 24. JOHN WICK Keanu Reeves returns as a retired hitman who gets back in the game after an old friend of his is hired by
a crime boss to kill him. This movie looks like your typical throw-lots-of-punches-blowstuff-up-for-no-reason action film, but I don’t think I can pass up a flick with Keanu Reeves doing cool stuff and saying cool things for an hour and a half. John Wick opens in theatres on October 24. MAPS TO THE STARS Agatha Weiss (Mia Wasikowska) tries to reconnect with her family after being released from a Florida sanatorium for criminal pyromania. She befriends a limo driver, Jerome Fontana (Robert Pattinson), and becomes the personal assistant of Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore), a washed-up actress. Segrand is dealing with living in the shadow of her dead mother and is a former patient of Weiss’ father, a psychotherapist (John Cusak). This film looks like it’ll be pretty dark and deal with intense things (Segrand’s mother’s ghost haunting her, her alleged abuse, and family neglect) but it also looks like it’s worth a view. With this much star power packed into one film, it doesn’t look like one I want to miss out on. Maps to the Stars comes out in theatres on October 31.
MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR Neverending Nightmares, a game created by Matt Gilgenbach, takes players into the terrifying world of mental illness—specifically Gilgenbach’s reallife nightmares associated with his OCD and depression. Gamers play as Thomas, a young man caught in a dream only to wake up and discover that he’s still dreaming. There is a never-ending sense that you’re doomed to roam the halls filled with giant mutant babies and blind monsters with bleeding eyes forever. Being forced to hide from these monsters or tiptoe your way around them adds so much more suspense to a world you just want to escape from already. This game is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Although there have been games based on real-life struggles in the past, there’s something about Neverending Nightmares that is so much more interactive. Complete with black and white 2D line art, the only things given colour are objects Thomas can interact with, and the blood. The unique art also draws attention to the fact that everything in the game moves: the shadows move, the creepy dolls blink, and the darkness has a pulse. Everything you encounter is gut-wrenching and more so bbecause it’s not made up.
There are three possible endings with about two hours of gameplay. Gilgenbach said in an interview that this was done because he wanted players to have an authorial control over the game, but I was scared to know that one wrong step could lead me to a cutscene of Thomas prying out his own veins. You feel like you have control until you don’t anymore.
It’s not built to be fun. The situations are real, the things you see are real, and mental illness isn’t a game. You can also tell that this game wasn’t built for people to have a fun horror game experience with—the situations are real, the things you see are real, and mental illness isn’t a game. Thomas is not a particularly fast character, so he can only run for so long. He walks slowly and there’s a limited number of save points. The game gives a glimpse into the world of mental illness and people are meant to leave the game with a better understanding of what depression and OCD are like. Its an experience more than anything else, and Gilgenbach’s bravery in creating it has helped others know that they are not alone.
WAGES FOR FACEBOOK: STUDENT POLL The Wages For Facebook campaign has come to University of Toronto Mississauga this fall, as part of the current exhibition FALSEWORK at the Blackwood Gallery, on view until December 7th 2014.
Are you a Facebook user? Why or why not? What do you mostly use it for?
In January 2014 the launch of a Wages For Facebook manifesto at wagesforfacebook.com immediately drew over 20,000 visitors (and counting) and helped frame a crucial public conversation about digital labour as well as the politics of its refusal in our internet age. Wages For Facebook is asking if what we do on Facebook should be understood as a form of work due to the fact that it generates billions of dollars in profit for a few, while billions of users around the world spend long hours generating its content.
How often do you update Facebook?
Working together with many amazing students, faculty and staff at University of Toronto Mississauga we have developed a poll to better understand what U of T students think about all this. As Laura Krick, a student working on the Wages For Facebook campaign explains, “The goal of this poll is to generate a discussion about Facebook and the reasons why we use it, to get people thinking about whether change is plausible.”
What type of Facebook work could logically be compensated?
How does social media affect your interactions with other people? Does social media feel like work to you? Do you care that Facebook is making money off of your newsfeed? Would being compensated for using social media change how and why you use it?
What kind of governing body could represent workers of Facebook? Are you interested in participating in the Wages For Facebook campaign? Why or why not?
—Laurel Ptak, October 2014 Poll results will be revealed and discussed at the Wages For Facebook Workshop with Laurel Ptak on Wednesday October 29th from 1 – 4pm at the Blackwood Gallery, Kaneff Centre. For more information visit www.blackwoodgallery.ca
Send responses to wagesforfacebook@gmail.com Deadline: Monday, October 20th, 2014
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How I briefly gave up the Internet The very real struggle to survive without email, social media, and, above all, cat videos KIMBERLY GREEN I have a problem—a problem severe enough I might even call it an addiction. I use the Internet for everything: school, entertainment, because I’m bored, or because I have too much to do. Sure, the Internet is great, but during a recent afternoon in a coffee shop, a place that I don’t typically associate with technology (that’s changing), I noticed everyone sat in groups glued to their screens when they were there, presumably, with the intent of socializing. That scene wasn’t especially new to me. I’ve been that person glued to my screen. I regularly fight back the urge to tweet everything, but I realized that day how sad and annoying it is that our generation feels the need to connect over a phone when there are people around us. (Trust me, I realize I’m not saying anything ground-breaking.) This annoyance, mostly at myself, led me to try an experiment. For a week, I went without the Internet—no Facebook, no Twitter,
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Cellphones and laptops make face-to-face conversation awkward and uncomfortable. no Instagram, and no email. Let me just state the obvious: this was difficult for me, and not because I had to find other ways to do basically everything, or because I’m literally taking a class about social media, but because for me tech-
nology is like a crutch. I get into a lot of awkward situations, and a screen—specifically, my Twitter account—is my way out of them. There was a point when I got into an elevator and actually had to talk to someone. Like, make eye contact,
smile, greet them, and ask them to push the button for my floor. I realized in that moment the great irony of our generation: we’re the most connected generation yet, but also the most socially inept. What blew me away was that
during my experiment, I was able to talk to people better. I’ve had some of the best conversations I’ve ever had with people. There was a point when I confronted one of my biggest fears about a friendship, solely because I put my phone down and talked, really just talked, and I think I’m better for it. The last thing I learned from this week was that I’ve been missing out on the people around me. I used to think people-watching was weird, but when there are no screens, you can’t really help it. I walked around this campus and learned that you, my fellow UTMers, are a beautiful group of people. I mean, damn, y’all are hot. But seriously, I was finally looking at our campus, I was smiling when I was smiled at and I felt like I saw this school, this wonderful campus full of potentially stressed-out students, in a new way. We are sad, and hardworking, and different, and delightfully complicated—and it’s wonderful.
Internet continued on page 12
In search of that underground tunnel Navigating UTM’s system of tunnels and passageways proves disappointing and not so mysterious MADELEINE BROWN FEATURES EDITOR I first heard about the underground tunnel from Davis to the North Building in the Medium Magazine at the end of my second year. The story of a secret investigative squad was sumptuous. In conversations with other students, it somehow manages to pop up regularly as a piece of hot “gossip”, an insider’s scoop, or, in one case, I think even a pick-up line. (I may have lied about that last one, but let me just pretend for a minute that another student attempted to flatter me and not just get help with homework.) At the end of last year, this piece of gossip developed slightly. Apparently, with all the new construction—yes, we’re still talking about that—the tunnel was finally going to be reopened to the public. We’d finally be able to do a full circuit of the campus without ever having to go outdoors. (Because with all the time we already spend on our laptops and cellphones in dark, windowless rooms, why not make it easier for us to avoid getting any form of fresh air?) However, I arrived on campus at the end of August and didn’t notice any difference. In fact, I forgot about the rumour. One Monday afternoon, mid-Sep-
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The Innovation Complex connection is more tunnel-like than its North to Deerfield counterpart. tember rain strikes during a session of a campus-walking group I lead, the UTM Sneaker Squad. We decide that we should take an indoor route and suddenly I remember the tunnel. Let’s find the tunnel! The other participants admit that they have heard of its existence, but they don’t know how to access it or whether it actually reopened. We never find it. Instead, we discover the underground tunnel between Davis and
the Innovation Complex. It’s accessed from a hallway left of the Bookstore. The door is rather inconspicuous. I would have never guessed where the door led had another student not already known. It opens into a narrow, windowless, descending tunnel. It’s not particularly wide or tall—claustrophobic, almost. It’s “a bit disappointing, more like an extended hallway that hardly lives up to the carefully laid out dungeon/maze
floor plan of [the] Davis basement,” says Vida Sosa, a second-year psychology major. We emerge in Innovation slightly disoriented. For the majority of us, it’s our first time there. After we work our way through several hallways and around a loop of study rooms, we end up beside Second Cup. Andrew Iozzo, a biology and psychology double major, reflects, “Walking through it for the first time is a cool experience.
I think I said ‘whoa’. It’s just cool to have a tunnel to another building, and then of course you have to tell everyone you went through the tunnel.” From Innovation we walk through CCT, IB, and onwards to North to check out the other tunnel, passageway, or whatever you want to call it, to Deerfield. Tucked in beside that infamous North Building mural we find the entrance. We collectively take in a deep breath and fling open the door. Just a few feet ahead of us is a wall. Then, after taking a sharp left, we realize that the entire length of the passageway is only a few feet longer with the door to Deerfield on the opposite side. It begs the question whether it even deserves the title of “passageway”. As Iozzo puts it, “The one from Davis to Kaneff is actually a lot bigger and more tunnel-like.” Sosa, similarly making the comparison to the Davis and Innovation connection, says, “At least it’s underground like a proper tunnel, unlike the North to Deerfield one. I suspect in any case that it’s actually a time portal between the present and the post-apocalyptic future, which I think handily explains the conditions of the North Building.”
Tunnel continued on page 13
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«FEATURES
THE MEDIUM 10.06.2014
A pair of plant sanctuaries Greenhouse and herbarium house thousands of plants
Each week, The Medium chats with a UTM professor or staff member about
The greenhouse and herbarium were founded just two years after UTM’s own establishment. ALAA JEELANY The trip to UTM’s greenhouse is somewhat inconvenient and perilous, with winding hallways and only one mysterious elevator that conveys its occupant to the fifth floor of the Davis Building. It seems almost Homeric when you end your long, winding journey with a sanctuary of plants. The greenhouse stores 300 to 400 species of plants, from various succulents to an array of ficuses. It is a sight to behold: high-pressure sodium lights hang from the ceiling and large bright pink flowers sit in close proximity to sphagnum moss, all coexisting in the narrow space. There are “thousands upon thousands of individual plants, mostly tropical”,
according to Marianne Kalich, the greenhouse’s horticulturalist and technician. Built in 1967, the greenhouse serves as a platform for research and teaching for the biology department, though it is occasionally used by other departments as well. The staff cut plants, propagate new species, and, interestingly, use the plants to support the department’s insect population. As we make our way around to the wetland plants under a large tarp, we pass wheat plants being grown to feed African migratory locusts. Looking at the large collection of plants suitable for so many different research topics, I ask about some of the most interesting research topics the greenhouse has seen. Kalich says there are far too many
to name, but among her favourite researchers who’ve used the space is one who “worked on all of the species of evening primrose flowers” and grew the plants in the thousands. She also mentioned a faculty member who brought plants from Carleton to work on their medicinal properties, including a strange “toothache plant”, which I had the pleasure of trying. “You bite off the flower head—they look like eyeballs—and you chew them. At first you think nothing, and then boom, it hits you,” says Kalich. “It numbs your whole mouth and you salivate like crazy.” I can personally verify this does indeed occur. It’s oddly enjoyable.
However,
finding
something
to
prepare proved a challenge. Unlike
one of their favourite recipes.
TASMEER ALI/THE MEDIUM
umn.
When you no longer feel the shame
someone who depends on recipes and
in proclaiming yourself a “foodie”
a fine set of measuring cups almost
(hopefully in the least pretentious way
too much (like myself), Fraser says all
possible), there’s nothing more excit-
those things go against his “cooking
ing than meeting another one. It im-
philosophy”.
mediately creates a bond—someone
“But that’s okay, I will make it
else who understands Food Network
work,” he continues. “Cooking is one
references, takes photos of
their
of those things that I just do; I don’t
home cooking, and never shies away
follow a recipe, I don’t measure any-
from a dinner out. Thus, I was very ex-
thing, I don’t set timers. But for the
cited when two years ago I met Adam
purpose of this article I see why it
Fraser, a foodie and the community
would be important.”
development coordinator for the De-
Join me in confidently leaving your
partment of Student Housing and
teaspoons and tablespoons in the
Residence Life.
drawer, taking Fraser’s advice, and fol-
Fraser is a UTMer through and
lowing a recipe that encourages you
through. “I’ve lived on campus for
not to follow a recipe. Learn to trust
over 10 years now,” he says. “I am
that your culinary creations will still
originally from the Prince Edward Is-
taste as good whether you add two
land (Potato Land), which is on the
handfuls of an ingredient instead of
east coast of Canada. I moved here to
two measuring cups’ worth. Embrace
do my undergraduate degree in 2004
your inner foodie instincts and, for the
and have been here ever since.” I had
occasional recipe, repress your inner
to ask him to contribute to this col-
control freak.
Potato Rosemary Pizza Serves however many you want. (It’d be wrong to put a serving size on this.) INGREDIENTS
• storebought pizza dough, premade pizza crust, or pita bread • 1 or 2 medium unpeeled new potatoes • bacon (Fraser says, “Vegetarians can leave it off, but it’s a nice touch.”) • your favourite cream-based pasta sauce
4.Cook bacon and cut up into small pieces. 5.Roll out the dough using some additional flour into whatever shape you want—it doesn’t need to be perfectly round. 6.Spread the pasta sauce over the dough, leaving ½” from the edge for the crust. 7.Sprinkle half of your cooked,
• fresh rosemary
chopped bacon, followed by a layer
• gorgonzola cheese or aged white
of potato slices, and the rest of
cheddar
the bacon onto the pizza. Finally, crumble the gorgonzola or cheddar
Plants continued on page 13
METHOD
cheese over the pizza. (Fraser says,
1.Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and
“Use as much as you like—who
bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
doesn’t love lots of cheese?!”) 8.Cook the pizza for about 10 min-
2.Place the pizza dough into a mixing
utes depending on whether you used
bowl and pat some flour, cornmeal,
dough (and how thickly you rolled it
and your choice of seasoning (for
out), precooked crust, or pita bread.
example, garlic powder, pepper, salt,
Once it’s cooked, turn on the broil
or dried herbs) into the dough until
for a minute or two to crisp up the
it becomes less sticky and easy to handle.
top. 9.Sprinkle rosemary over the cooked
3.Boil potatoes until cooked, strain
pizza and let the pizza sit for 4 to
the water, and cut potatoes into
5 minutes (if you can), slice, and
¼”-thick slices.
enjoy!
Do people-watch Internet continued from page 11
Study an internationally accredited Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in Melbourne, Australia Find out more about the exceptional student experience at go.unimelb.edu.au/225n Canada various 6x6.21inches.indd 1
26/09/2014 10:35 am
What I learned from this experiment as a whole is that we don’t see each other. We know that people are there but we don’t notice each other, and if we do, that’s “creepy”. I’m guilty of it myself: I’m too busy updating my phone to remember to live the life I’ve been given. For me, that’s really pathetic. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Internet. I love cat videos (which is saying a lot because I hate actual cats… judge me, I don’t care) and social media, and yes, I see the irony of writing this on a computer, but I think the Internet is like cake. Too much consumption and you have a serious
problem, but too little and you’re that strange person no one likes to talk to. It’s about balance.
We know that people are there but we don’t notice each other, and if we do, that’s “creepy”. Maybe one day we’ll figure out how that balance thing works, but as a member of this generation, maybe we do need to learn how to put the screens down and turn them off. Even just for a little bit. We might be better off for it.
10.06.2014 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 13
Plans for a modern, Students cash in on apps larger greenhouse Questions arise as to their longevity and competitiveness
COLOPAL/PHOTO
Colopal lets you add drawings—however hideous they may be—as an overlay on a photo. SAMINA SULTANA TASMEER ALI/THE MEDIUM
Despite its appearance, the herbarium is a major research facility. Plants continued from page 12 I ask Kalich if there are any she prefers studying. “Succulents—they all have Dr. Seuss-like growth forms; no two are alike,” she says. Kalich first began work at the biology department with plant identification, allowing her to work at UTM’s famous herbarium. The herbarium, according to Kalich, is not part of the greenhouse but does fall under the jurisdiction of the biology department. It boasts 95,000 different species and is a stark contrast to the brightly lit greenhouse, being a “morgue-like” space “in the depths of the basement” with “big metal cupboards that you crank open” (her words). But the herbarium is an impressive plant library used by researchers around the world. “The specimens usually get lent out to other universities and other plants come in all the time; things come back and forth in our herbarium from the entire globe,” says Kalich.
Though the herbarium is in good shape, partly thanks to retired plant taxonomists who have helped ensure its upkeep, the same cannot be said for the greenhouse. According to Kalich, plans are underway to open a new greenhouse south of the library, because the existing one has suffered during its long lifetime and many aspects of the structure fail to meet modern day safety codes. It’s also difficult to grow many plants of different climates and conditions in one large open area; the new greenhouse will better address the different needs of various species. Until this one closes down, Kalich says, “As long as something isn’t going on, students can feel free to wander around.” Kalich finishes our interview by mentioning the annual plant sale from Tuesday to Thursday to raise funds for United Way. Anyone interested in volunteering should email Kalich at marianne.kalich@utoronto. ca with their availability. Volunteers get a free plant of their choosing.
University puts an end to tunnel tales Tunnel continued from page 11 After the adventure, still frustrated with my gossip sources and determined to find the real tunnel, the one connecting Davis to North, I email Paul Donoghue, UTM’s chief administrative officer.
“It was never meant to be ‘open’; it is a service tunnel, not a pedestrian tunnel or ‘passage’...it was never taken out of use.” But I make two mistakes. First, I refer to the tunnel as an underground “passage”. Secondly, I ask if the tunnel has
been “reopened” now that the new buildings are up. “It was never meant to be ‘open’; it is a service tunnel, not a pedestrian tunnel or ‘passage’,” replies Donoghue. “So it has not been ‘reopened’ as it was never taken out of use.” And with that single sentence, any hopes of underground adventures and endless hours of running to and from North to Davis without ever having to take a step outside are dashed. It hurts almost as much as the Christmas Eve when, having overheard coughing coming from around our Christmas tree and sneaking out of bed to get a glimpse of the action, I realized Santa Claus and my dad had the same cold. Nevertheless, like Santa Claus, I’m determined to let the dream live on. One day, I will find that tunnel.
Surprisingly, aside from pulling allnighters and meticulously maintaining high CGPAs, U of T students are developing their own mobile apps. These days it seems everyone is creating cash cows online, from blogs turned bestsellers to YouTube channels turned full-blown TV series. But who knew you could become a technology entrepreneur while still in school? One of these U of T student-created apps is Befitting, which allows users to see how an item of clothing would look on them. It was created by Ke Li, a second-year student specializing in finance and computer science who spent the summer in IBM’s software development program. He also developed a mobile solution to enable remote monitoring of the Cancer Biomarker Network using employee Blackberries. In the future, he hopes to launch his own software company specializing in web technologies. Another app is Baton, developed by three U of T graduates—Zack Teitel, Victor Chen, and Fiona Zhao—to enhance interaction between students and professors to improve passive engagement in classrooms through smartphones. Professors engage with students on course topics by viewing their participation when using the app, allowing a wider range of responses than simply picking the students who raise their hands first. “Students are drawn to the informa-
tion and communication technology sector by the culture of innovation,” says CCIT prof Brett Caraway, who teaches Introduction to Digital Culture, on the reason he believes students immerse themselves in digital media. “The idea of participating in a successful start-up sounds appealling to many young people. They like the idea of autonomy and control that comes with being a successful entrepreneur. And for those simply looking to work in high-tech fields, there is an innate appeal to the fast pace of technological development.” Meanwhile, Masatoshi Nishimura and Ridney Wijesingh have created Colopal, a photo-sharing app that individuals can use to doodle on their friends’ posted photos. Development started in the winter of 2013 and the app was launched in February. According to Nishimura, he wanted to create something students could use during class and came up with the idea of collaborative doodling. “It was first an augmented reality app to read an image and overlay 3D graphics,” he said. “That’s where I got the idea of multiple layers on top of pictures. The usage we thought of: you take a photo of the professor and draw something on him and share it with other people when you are bored of class. I know, I laugh thinking back.” He added that you can submit an app to iTunes for an annual membership fee, and his was accepted after an initial rejection due to a mistake on their part.
“To be honest, I’ve never been a creative guy myself,” Nishimura continued. “But I was always interested in what other people can come up with. In fact, I had a great team who was excellent in artistic design. So I wanted to create a medium where even an average dude like me can come up with some creative pieces.” The problem with creating an app is determining how to differentiate it from existing ones. Iqra Ghazi, a thirdyear CCIT student, argued that Colopal “looks like just another app that allows one to draw on a picture taken using the camera”, for example. Nonetheless, the process of brainstorming, developing, and selling the app is itself a worthwhile experience for software developers. “In addition to developing their technical skills, students taking part in app development have the opportunity to learn about many things, including management, organizational theory, economics, intellectual property, marketing, labor, and regulatory compliance,” said Caraway. Beyond students’ individual endeavours, there also exists MADLab, a student-centred facility at St. George dedicated to the advancement of mobile software at U of T. They offer regular office hours and one-on-one appointments. Their list of resources includes a coffee machine and refrigerator—essential whether you’re on your way to becoming the next Bill Gates or just creating another app.
anorexia nervosa treatment study Researchers at CAMH and the Toronto General Hospital are currently investigating a new treatment for Anorexia Nervosa and are looking for participants
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Who is qualified to participate? Qualified participants will: • Have a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa
All inquiries are strictly confidential with no commitment necessary.
14
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10.06.2014
Huggon motivates UTM to get fit PHIL POWER WITH NOTES FROM JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR Move U’s Motivator took place on September 26 as the first event of its kind by the RAWC’s fitness crew. The event was a way to get students active by taking part in volleyball, Pilates, spin class, jump rope, and other miniactivities. “We are absolutely excited for the opportunity to expose students to all that the RAWC has to offer,” says Chad Jankowski, UTM’s health education coordinator. “To get people learning about how being active promotes their physical well-being, their mental wellbeing, [and] their academic success— that is what we are here to do.” But before the attendees even broke a sweat, they heard a motivational talk by UTM psychology professor Will Huggon on how to live a healthy and active life that includes not only relaxation but also tools to fight depression and a range of other health problems. Of course, one of the biggest reasons people don’t work out is that they simply don’t have time. Huggon countered that working out improves organization skills, and that a strenuous workout three to five times a week can improve your GPA by 0.4 on average,
UTM raised over $14,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. which, for anyone thinking of grad school, is a major improvement. “Make a plan,” says Huggon. “If you make a plan and stick with it for 21 to 30 days, that’s the amount of time it takes to create a habit.” He said that those who begin working out, but quit because of their busy schedules, should force themselves to work out for those three to four weeks to solidify the habit, or go to the gym with a friend who can keep you accountable. “There’s a wealth of knowledge at
UTM, and it’s pretty much free,” says Huggon, specifically mentioning the personal trainers and dieticians available to students. An athletic lifestyle also has social benefits. Most people work hard at school to get a good job, often one with a good salary that will allow them to live the “good life”. Huggon points out that if having a “good life” is your end goal, a healthy lifestyle athletically and socially will be more fulfilling than money and success.
Zumba for beginners
MUBASHIR BAWEJA/THE MEDIUM
Huggon went on to share his own story of trauma and recovery. When he was 20 years old, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and he and his siblings had difficulty finding the silver lining. Despite his mother’s struggle, Huggon recalls her being able to find something positive in her situation. A few years later when Huggon was finishing his undergrad, his father was diagnosed with brain cancer. He passed away, and within seven months his mother’s cancer returned and she
Varsity women moving on up SIHAN ZHENG
Zumba class is held at the RAWC dance studio Fridays from 1 to 2 p.m. FERGUS TALBOT ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR One practises Zumba, a fitness class masquerading as a dance class, to blasting Latin American music such as salsa or merengue. It’s original in that it marries fitness and dance, both a solid workout and a lot of fun. I attended a Zumba class at the RAWC where about 25 girls had come to take part in a session that involved tremendous efforts on their part from the get-go—as if if you were a kid in 1983 trying to teach yourself to moonwalk like Michael Jackson (or if you can’t imagine that, then come up with a less dated reference). Going by what I saw, I strongly recommend that more
males sign up for a Zumba class. I’m no expert, but I imagine being able to Zumba could be beneficial for a man who needs to fend for himself on the dance floor on pub night. From a fitness standpoint, Zumba requires a high level of stamina. There’s squatting, clapping, and waving, which sounds simple on paper but is taken to a whole new level when you have to keep in time with the pulsing sounds of Shakira. Zumba does challenge your shyness. You must be prepared to appear ridiculous at first in order to really grasp the moves and make them your own. But after razzling and dazzling my body through the first song, I felt as comfortable as a man in a Zumba class full of women
CRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM
possibly could—that is to say, not very. The girls were nearly breathless after the third song. Their arms started to dangle like the inflatable plastic figures outside car dealerships, but with less enthusiasm. The fifth song was the most challenging yet. A physically drained participant dropped to the floor during the song and stayed there for a good minute, something I’ve come close to doing in the past after receiving my midterm marks. At the end, everyone was moving to a slower, more relaxed tempo. I found the dancer inside me and shimmied until the 50-minute class came to an end, hopeful to return for another spoonful of salsa next week.
too passed away. The traumatic event seems difficult to recover from, but Huggon was able to find positivity in his pain. “When I think about my mom and think about my dad, I think about the good times I had with them rather than the bad times,” says Huggon. He credits his parents with giving him the strength to move on. “It’s going to be different for everyone. From my personal experience, my parents taught me over and over again to always find the positive. My mom especially would say, ‘I’ve been sick for this tiny amount of time and I’ve been healthy for the whole rest of my life.’ ” This is still Huggon’s outlook today, and he recently shared his story not only with the Move U crowd but also with UTM as a whole as he prepared to run in the CIBC Run for the Cure for breast cancer research. Before the run, Huggon spoke to his classes and shared his story on his Run for the Cure sponsor page. He vowed to shave his head and beard if UTM was able to raise $10,000. The students raised over $14,000. To make good on his promise, Huggon invited students across campus to witness the event last Friday afternoon at the RAWC, where Huggon and his brother Tim had their faces and heads shaved.
On Saturday afternoon, the U of T Varsity Blues took to their home field to welcome the Carleton Ravens in women’s soccer. The fifthplace Blues were looking for a very important three points to overtake the Ravens and Queens. Both sides started with a 4-5-1 formation, but while the Blues came out with a strong offence, the Ravens were content to play for a draw. The Blues pressed forward, creating some brilliant attack opportunities. The Ravens countered with faster play, which caused some difficulties for the Blues early in the game. The Blues squandered an early opportunity to score in the 17th minute. A brilliant cross was played to striker Zoe Carty, who unfortunately slipped right in front of the goal. Sensing that the Blues were playing a long ball style, the Ravens played more defensively, often with 10 players behind the ball. The Blues followed up with a great shot in the 26th minute, which unfortunately missed the near post by the
slimmest of margins. Building on a goal kick, the Ravens threatened with a very successful counter in the 28th minute, but the Blues centre backs quickly shut down any threat. U of T finally broke open the scoring in the 40th minute with a great long ball, followed by a brilliant shot to the outside corner by sophomore Claudia Piazza, to take a 1-0 lead. In an attempt to take home at least a single point, Carleton switched to a more offensive style with multiple substitutions around the 80th minute and had a few good opportunities in the box. The Blues beat the Ravens 1-0, taking home an important three points and moving up in the standings to fourth place. U of T dominated the match overall, limiting the Ravens to two decent scoring opportunities. Although the margin of victory was slim, the Blues never looked as though they were going to lose, outshooting the Ravens 9-3.
Blues continued on page 15
10.06.2014 THE MEDIUM SPORTS» 15
Gavac leads the team Piazza still
making news
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
Gavac is third overall in the OUA for number of touchdowns with five thus far in the season. ERIC HEWITSON ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR UTM student Lukas Gavac proves himself one of the most ferocious players for the Varsity Blues football program every time he steps onto the field. In U of T’s historic 70-0 beatdown of their rivals the York Lions two weeks ago, the running back rushed for 179 yards on 18 carries, scoring four touchdowns in the contest. Fans and players can expect a large gain on the field as the steam train that is Gavac chugs his way down the tracks to the end zone. Gavac’s most impressive stat this season is his 7.2 yards per carry average, which makes for sixth best in the country, an accomplishment that doesn’t go to Gavac’s head. “Every time I get the ball from our quarterback I’m thinking about getting a touchdown for the team,” he says. “It feels good, but I know I can still improve.” Gavac’s skill and dominance will be
Gavac’s ability is not unearned. Eight months of the year, he’s in the High-Performance Centre at 7 a.m., maintaining his 223-lb frame. “You need to put in the work if you want to get strong and fast,” he says. “The High-Performance Centre has everything I need. It’s my sanctuary, and I love that I get to share the room with the other UTM football players. We all inspire one another to be the best we can be, physically and mentally.” The Varsity Blues running back was named Athlete of the Week by U of T Varsity Sports, and is currently earning a degree in criminology. His off-field goal is to become a police officer. He would not shy away from an opportunity to join the CFL, however, something that his previous rushing partner Aaron Milton was able to do with the Edmonton Eskimos. “I would love to play in the CFL—it’s my dream,” he says. “I love the game so much, and to play it after my university career would be an absolute blessing.”
needed this season as the Blues strive to win four games in a row and make their way into the playoffs, something U of T hasn’t done in 20 years. “I truly believe we can win the rest of our games and make it into the playoffs,” says Gavac. “I need to be ready for my coaches and teammates and execute to the best of my ability. I’m so hungry for the playoffs and I want to help my team get there.” Arguably the most influential person in Gavac’s life is his father, a man who’s inspired him to work with tireless effort and profound passion on the field and in the weight room. “My father is a very inspiring man, moving from Slovakia to Canada before I was born. He worked so hard to get my family where we are today,” Gavac says. He recalls his father working a job that had him digging up worms at night just so that he could put food on the table for his family—and it’s the same determination that Gavac has when he steps on the field.
STUDENTS' ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND CHANGES IN NET ASSETS FOR THE YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 2014 (With comparative figures for the year ended April 30, 2013) REVENUES Member's health and dental plan fees (note 11) Restricted student fees recognized (note 10) General student fees TTC Metropass sales and sponsorship Advertising and other income Ticket sales Interest income
$ 11,160,332 1,765,384 1,389,926 455,950 308,341 151,925 25,776 15,257,634
EXPENSES Health and dental plan disbursements (note 11) Restricted student fee disbursements (note 10) Salaries, wages and benefits TTC Metropass purchases Clubs and other subsidies Office and general Orientation Ticket purchases Elections and referenda Campaigns Services handbook Meetings Equipment expenses Bank, financing, and interest charges TTC program Book exchange Amortization
Dr
aft
11,160,332 1,765,384 671,574 446,438 295,991 212,821 215,499 144,468 120,618 76,310 70,354 34,370 29,136 14,933 4,180 56 22,940 15,285,404
DEFICIT FOR THE YEAR
(52,404)
2,168,990 $
2,141,220
9,661,890 1,794,043 1,363,770 576,659 236,444 182,786 7,923 13,823,515 9,661,890 1,794,043 670,203 565,912 211,814 220,598 212,852 181,902 97,685 80,886 66,810 48,867 26,270 8,565 3,469 3,730 20,423 13,875,919
(27,770)
NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF THE YEAR NET ASSETS, END OF THE YEAR
2013 $
2,221,394 $
Blues continued from page 14 Playing an eye-pleasing offensive style of soccer, U of T demonstrated a level of tactical coherence and confidence that bodes very well for their playoff chances. Lethal down the wings, the Varsity Blues pressed the Ravens’ defence and easily exploited the two sides of the box, delivering multiple effective crosses and constantly challenging Carleton’s goalkeeper. Claudia Piazza played a decisive role in today’s game. Currently the leading scorer on the Blues with five goals, she not only scored the only goal of the match, she also very effec-
tively dominated the midfield, pushing up while controlling possession and blunting the Ravens’ attack at the same time. On the field for the full 90, Piazza was the game-changer in this critical match. With the victory over Carleton, the Blues solidify their playoff position in the OUA. U of T played the University of Ottawa on Sunday, losing 2-0. The team currently sits in fourth place. With nine points ahead of seventh place and five games to go, they should easily make the playoffs. Vying for first place in the division may be unrealistic, but considering the strong attack and strategic play I saw, the championship is attainable.
Medium Weekly Scoreboard
O/A UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STUDENTS' UNION
2014
MARTIN BAZYL/THE MEDIUM
Claudia Piazza scored the lone goal in U of T’s win on Saturday.
2,168,990
VARSITY MEN’S FOOTBALL
VARSITY WOMEN’S SOCCER
U of T 32 Carleton 53
U of T 0 University of Ottawa 2
VARSITY MEN’S HOCKEY
MEN’S DIVISION 1 BASKETBALL
U of T 2 Western Michigan University 3 (SO)
UTM Eagles 68 Law 41
VARSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL
VARSITY WOMEN’S HOCKEY
U of T 77 Dalhousie University 85
U of T 3 (SO= shootout) UOIT 2
VARSITY WOMEN’S FASTPITCH
MEN’S INTRAMURAL HOCKEY
U of T 9 Carleton 11
UTM 5 Medicine A 3
U of T 10 Carleton 4
THE ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014 | OISE AUDITORIUM 6PM-9PM | REGISTRATION STARTS AT 4:30 PM ORDER OF BUSINESS: 1. Call to Order
Audited Financial Statements
2. Welcoming Remarks & Guest Speaker
6. Appointment of Auditors for 2013-2014
3. President's Address & Question Period
7. Approval of Bylaw Amendments
4. Approval of Minutes
8. Consideration of Motions Duly Served 9. Adjournement
5. Receipt of the 2012-2013
FOR THE FULL TEXT OF ALL THE RESOLUTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED AT THIS MEETING, PLEASE CONSULT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STUDENTS’ UNION WEBSITE AT WWW.UTSU.CA/ANNUAL-GENERAL-MEETING.
Every member at the University of Toronto Students’ Union (full-time undergraduate students at the St.George and Mississauga campuses) can participate in this meeting. Wheelchair accessible. If you have any accessibility requests, require ASL interpretation, childcare or any other inquiries, please contact:
CAMERON WATHEY | VICE PRESIDENT INTERNAL & SERVICES | VPINTERNAL@UTSU.CA By October 22, 2014
VISIT US AT WWW.UTSU.CA
FACEBOOK.COM/UTSU98
TWITTER @UTSU98
Proxy forms will be available at the UTSU office from October 9-16 for members who will be representing other members who cannot attend. A pre-registration will be available for individual members between October 21-25 for those who wish to avoid a registration line up.